PALAKKAD,
NOV. 20.
The All-Kerala Steel Manufacturers Association today alleged that the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) officials were harassing and victimising steel manufacturers in the name of `power theft'.

At a State committee meeting today, the association chairman, P.K. Ahmed, and the general secretary, K. Pankajakshan, said that there were 32 steel manufacturing units in Palakkad alone and these units were contributing huge amount as excise, sales tax and other taxes.

They said the units were also providing employment to thousands of people in the State. But these units were being harassed in the name of drawing more power, which the KSEB termed as `power theft'. There was no power theft as the consumption was metered. They said that the slab system of computing consumption of power was unscientific.

The association leaders said that in spite of these units contributing huge sums as tax, they were being singled out for harsh treatment. This would affect the process of industrialisation.